After getting a few games of Kill Team against Harlequins under my belt, I’ve noticed some of their strengths and weaknesses. Let’s break it down.
Harlequins are the Racecar faction in 40k and they’re still ridiculously fast in Kill Team as well. The game mechanics in kill Team altered the way Harlequins play slightly. But these Eldar are freakishly fast glass cannons.
Harlequins in Kill Team
Looking at Harlequins in Kill Team, they play a bit differently from the 40k tabletop. With the charges being made IN the movement phase INSTEAD of moving, they can’t quite skirt across the board turn one, but they are still alarmingly fast. They get to charge 3D6 instead of the normal 2D6. Let’s face it, it would be overpowered if your entire team had the ability to cross the board turn one.
Harlequins are squishy at only being T3. But they have a 4++ invulnerable save which is surprisingly helpful. That can even be moved to a 3++ with a stratagem. Kill Team is a game where you need to make every shot count and a large chunk of points go into high AP weapons to increase the chances of you wounding the enemy.
However, if a Harlequin player goes against a Bolter-heavy (or equally dakka’d out) list, they’ll have some trouble keeping models on the board. With most weapons in the game being S4 or higher, they’ll usually be wounding the Harlequins on 2’s and 3’s. If you can pepper one model with two or three bolter shots, they’ll more than likely go down. The trick is just keeping them at bay long enough. Stay out of their charge range and shoot when you can.
Harlequin Wargear
harlequins may flake away against high-volume firepower, but they can really bring the pain close range. They still have full access to Fusion pistols which is basically melta. The worst part is it’s a pistol so they can fire it in combat. Moving onto their combat weapon, they’ve got power swords that make them S5 and -2AP. With stats like that, you’ll want to fall back if you survive. Well, Harlequins will punish you for even trying.
This puts your Kill Team in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation”. You have the choice of falling back, but you might just get shot and charged again. If you think your model can withstand a Fusion Pistol immediately followed up by a Xenos power weapon, you’re mistaken. And good luck falling back to safety. You can’t forget these guys can charge 3D6. it’s really better to fire overwatch than trying to use the 3″ retreat option.
Best Way to Deal With Harlequins
Like we’ve said before, bring a lot of shots and hose one model down before moving onto the next. Preferably the closest enemy model to you. These guys will usually win close combat out of their sheer volume of attacks and AP on their weapon. They’re sticky once they manage to close the gap so come prepared with a lot of shots.
Smart Harlequin players will take advantage of the 3D6 charge capability and charge you from out of LOS. Make sure you post your models up in the second story of buildings to get the best vantage point. It doesn’t matter where you are on the map, Harlequins ignore the terrain features so you might as well get to where you can see them coming.
What do you think about Kill Team? Have you played against Harlequins yet? What strategy works best for you? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
